Two Birds Stoned At Once
by mystic monkeys
Summary: Ginny weasley is haunted by the void Tom Riddle created when he was dismembered from her body and mind, while Draco Malfoy battles with his own ghosts.Draco/Ginny.DARKFIC!Deals w/ depression, cutting, torture, nongraphic rape. Song title but not a songfic
1. Chapter 1:The Void Yet To Be Filled

Ginny Weasley was lying in her bed at the burrow, mind spinning frantically. The world seemed to comply with her mind and the room started to rotate about her head. Black and white and green and crimson and gold and silver swirled together above her head, and she fell upwards into the abyss the colors created. She could see the magic flowing out of her as it was stolen by the void; The void that had consumed her ever since Tom Riddle had departed from her mind and her body.

She awoke with a scream, and continued screaming as she was smothered by the terrifying darkness that surrounded her. Then she smelled the familiar scent of her dorm at Hogwarts, and her racing heart calmed. But not her racing mind. Her brain continued reeling as she thought about the dream that had pursued her for the past 5 years since the time when she was freed from Tom Riddle's grasp. Well, not freed, exactly. The dreams still had her in Tom's grasp, and she knew that the void left when this entity was ripped from her could only be filled when she was possessed fully by the spirit of another.

She had tried to fill the void; tried with magic, with filling her days to the brim, with friendship, and with love. But every time she got close enough to someone to give herself away to them, she could fill the rejection and knew that they would not fill the void, they would merely cause it to grow more needy, more desperate.

She sat pondering, as she had many times, about why no one would fill the void. She realized, as she had many times, that maybe it was because no one was pure-blooded. Oh, wait, she remembered (as she had many times). There was that raven claw in her fourth year. Now, she pondered, as she had many times, maybe there was another factor. Maybe…what?

Ginny considered her dream, as she had many times. Black…white. Someone opposite from her. Tom had been opposite. Opposite in what? Gender, obviously. Family status, wealth, upbringing…house. Slytherin. Gryffindor. Green and silver. Crimson and cold. The thought revolted her, as it always did. Give herself over completely to a Slytherin pure-blooded megalomaniac.

But she had before!

But that was a mistake. She hadn't known. She didn't know what Tom was like.

_VOLDEMORT! His name is Voldemort!,_ Ginny chastised herself.

As usual she dismissed the thought of Slytherin, knowing that it would come back the next day whenever she saw someone in robes with green and silver accents. Knowing it would come back the next night, and the next, and the next.

Ginny closed her eyes and tried to fall asleep, knowing that it was futile, knowing that she would have to perform a concealment charm as she did every morning to hide the bags that were always under her eyes, knowing that she would have to conjure up false energy to hide the fact that she didn't sleep, knowing that it would just wear her out more.

She lay motionless for hours trying to forget the passage of time, but agonizingly aware of every second, aware of the sun slowly getting brighter through the crack in her curtains.

Ginny lifted the silencing charm she always put around her bed to keep her screams from the others. The sound of birds outside echoed into her ears, agonizingly painful from the lack of sleep, and agonizingly beautiful because they rang with the freedom she would never have.


	2. Chapter 2:Ghosts From The Dungeons

Draco Malfoy walked the halls of Hogwarts every night; his rank as prefect allowed him to do so without the need for an invisibility cloak and without the threat of having detention. His goal was to ensure that no other students were casing trouble, but his thoughts drifted elsewhere, back to that night in his second year…

_Draco felt his head smack against the wall as Lucius Malfoy hurled him around effortlessly with his want. He felt his body slam into the floor, into the bookshelf, and finally, painfully into the crystal chandelier, smashing it into pieces and feeling the shards slice his skin._

"_Father…please", he murmured almost unintelligibly. His body couldn't take any more abuse, and cried for the blackness that always mercifully invaded him. But as it was about to descend upon him, Lucius broke its bond with his ice-cold voice and the pain of being hurled once again against walls, floors, ceilings._

"_Do you realize what your little blunder means!? Do you realize what your failure to stop the bond from being broken actually _means_!? That journal was so brutally important to the Dark Lord's revival; and_ _YOU, his only representative at Hogwarts; YOU, my only son, my only heir; YOU, you pathetic inept excuse for a follower let that POTTER get away with destroying it! Did you know what that journal really was!? It WAS the Dark Lord! It was a part of his soul! You cannot even begin to understand that every time Ginerva Weasley penned a SINGLE LETTER in that journal, she gave the Dark Lord some of her strength, some of her life!"_

"_I'm sorry, father" Draco moaned. Anything, everything to stop this pain, just please don't let it be…_

"Reparo" _The chandelier mended itself, the room put itself back together. Lucius healed his son, but the relief was not welcome, for Draco know its purpose. _

"_Come. The dungeons"_

"_Please, father, no!" Draco begged. Anything but the dank, putrid depths that haunted his mind, where he had to mercilessly torture the pathetic beings that could barely be identified as human. _

"_You have to prove to me and to your lord that you are not a failure, that you have not lost your ability to do this will"_

_Draco hated what he had to do to keep himself alive. He hated the fear in the prisoners' eyes when they saw light appear for the first time in so long, when they saw him, dragged by his father. But he had to. Not only his life hinged on his father's assurance, it was his mother's as well. Narcissa Malfoy was by no means a kind, compassionate mother, but she was all Draco had, and it was Lucius' only leverage he had over someone who no longer valued his own life._

_The two moved in silence to the dungeons, Lucius' hand tight around Draco's neck to keep him in order. When the door cracked open, they could hear a moan of terror from someone new; someone who had not yet learned that silence would lessen the severity of the punishment, because its administrator felt so sick when he heard the screams that he departed from his body and took his rage out on the poor body before him, not knowing that it was a person like him, tortured by the same cold individual who watched over them all…_

Cold water splashed Draco into reality, and he looked up to see Peeves above his head with a large balloon full of water, and looked down to see his robes dripping. He shook the water out of his hair and ran, with peeves hooting and following after him;

"Someone wasn't watching where he was going! What, where you daydreaming, pretty-boy? Who's the lucky girl?"

"Bugger off, Peeves, I'm not to be trifled with tonight!" "OOOHHHH, he's 'Not to be trifled with tonight'!"

Another water balloon splashed at Draco's feet, and he ducked into an empty room, thankfully (for the first time in his life) running into Filch.

Peeve's water balloon hit Filch square in the face, and in the shouting match that followed, Draco ducked out to return to his dorm for another sleepless night, another concealment charm in the morning to hide the bags under his eyes, another energy potion to give the appearance that everything was alright, but that only took away more of his energy.


	3. Chapter 3:Worlds Collide

When Ginny heard her roommates stir, she performed her aforementioned charms to conceal her anguish. She quickly showered and dressed; and met Ron, Hermione, and Harry in the Common Room. The roaring fire heightened her weariness despite the energy potion, and the light from the fire and the window cast off her face, giving it a ghoulish appearance from the ragged contrast of blue and orange light. Ron and Harry were involved in a heated discussion, but Hermione perceived for just that moment how weary Ginny was. She greeted Ginny cheerfully, however, and the four made their way to the Great Hall for breakfast.

While Harry and Ron were again involved in their "discussion", an argument that neither Ginny nor Hermione cared about, the latter decided to see if she hadn't merely seen a trick of the light, or if something was really wrong.

"Ginny, are you doing all right?" Hermione asked. "Ginny… Ginny…OY! GINNY!"

Ginny started and looked at Hermione with frightened eyes, and then shook her head to clear her mind of the hazy yet painfully dazzling swirling auras that threatened to engulf her completely.

"Oh…yeah?"

"Ginny, something's wrong with you. Have you been getting enough sleep?"

Ginny panicked for a moment, wondering how she knew, but then reasoned that it was just a logical guess, like almost everything else that Hermione hypothesized. Of course she would be the first to notice.

Hermione watched Ginny throughout her momentary distress, and then saw her face relax a bit. She knew that her guess was correct, but still wondered why Ginny would try to conceal the fact; it's not like it was a big issue, unless there was something else behind her exhaustion.

Ginny finally replied saying, "Last night I had a lot of studying to do. No big tests or anything, just falling behind in Defense Against the Dark Arts." Better to tell a half-truth than unleashing her demons for Hermione to bear, and she WAS falling behind in Defense Against the Dark Arts.

"But Ginny, that's your best subject", Hermione said.

"Yeah, just got a little lazy, that's all"

Hermione still had her doubts, but attributed her reluctance to admit her lack of sleep to an embarrassment to tell her genius friend that she was struggling in school.

Ginny finished the food on her plate quickly, though eating was becoming difficult, and said she had to go study for Defense Against the Dark Arts, a bit relieved that she now had that as a reason to get away.

In the halls, she wandered around with her eyes on the floor, lost in thought until she crashed into someone. Her face buried into a distinguishably male chest, his black robes blinding her. Lost in the dark for what seemed like ages, she felt peace fill her for the first time in five years. Then an arm lifted her up and she heard a familiar voice saying,

"Weasley?"

Her heart sank, though the peace stayed with her for a moment longer.

Draco was tossing sleeplessly in his bed, knowing that he could not rest or the faces of those he'd tortured again and again would float in his sleep. He saw forgiveness in their eyes, knowing that it pained him as it pained them, knowing that he hat to do this to them for fear of his own life. One girl reoccurred in his dreams when he did sleep-A little girl named Rosalina who was about his age, but seemed to be ten for lack of nourishment. After he had satisfied his father's need to see pain on the faces of others and turned to leave, he felt her hand on his. Her fingers stroked his palm, and she uttered a nearly unintelligible, "_I'm sorry". _

In his dream he heard her whisper, saw her face. He saw his palm with the trails of blood and dirt her fingers had left behind.

Draco got up and walked out of the dorm, out of the common room, into the halls. He wandered until he heard birds, the sound hauntingly beautiful. He wandered until he heard the unruly noise of students walking to the Great Hall for breakfast. He wandered until he ran into someone, and red filled his vision as he and the someone fell to the ground. He saw the red hair floating in front of his eyes and knew that it was the Weasley girl; no other girl in the school had hair that vibrant.

Draco wanted to feel the hate he felt for her brother, for Harry, For Hermione, the hate that he usually felt for her, but he closed his eyes for just a second and felt the sunshine steaming from a window onto his face, felt her hair on his face and her soft, warm body against his, and smelled the sweet scent that lifted from her skin.

Draco shook his head hard to clear the scent from his mind, and to get the Weasley hair off of his face. He forced himself to feel a semblance of the hate he wanted to feel, and lifted her up by the shoulders. The expression on her face was that of someone who had been locked in a dank dungeon for ages, to finally be released into freedom. It was the look on Rosalina's face when she died.

"Weasley?" he whispered, immediately regretting not using her name.


	4. Chapter 4:Broken spells

Ginny looked up into the cold gray eyes she had seen almost every day filled with hate and malice, expecting the same look and the usual sneer of _Blood traitor_. But instead Malfoy's eyes were an icy silver that had a familiarity she could not grasp, and were filled with…what? Sorrow, and…pain, and…love? Malfoy, the Ice Prince of Slytheryn, capable of felling love? She scoffed, and her snort of contempt caught Malfoy be surprise.

* * *

Draco was lost in Ginny's face that so resembled Rosalina's, not in features but in expression But then her face changed, and she let out an undignified snort that seemed to mock him.

Draco, the spell broken, quickly got up, said, "Watch you step, Weasley", and walked away. The further he went the heavier the burden over his head became, but he attributed it to the fact that he was again alone to delve into his thoughts. Still, when he tried to pull the image of Rosalina back into his thoughts, all he saw was Ginny Weasley as he lifted her off of his chest, and he had an urge to run back and hold her to him. He forced the thought away and walked more briskly to the great hall for the tail end of breakfast.

* * *

Ginny gasped as Malfoy got up and she was dumped unceremoniously on the floor. For a moment she was disappointed, but she forced herself to be relieved that Malfoy was acting like himself again. Still, as she watched his receding back, she had a sinking feeling in the pit of her stomach, and realized that the peace she had felt was leaving her.

_NO!_ She thought. _It can't be him! But it makes perfect sense. He is pure-blood, and a Slytheryn…What am I thinking!? I could never become close to him! But if it would take this void away…_

_Remember though, what Tom... Voldemort... wanted. In exchange for freedom. Before he was removed from the picture. Would you give your virginity away to Malfoy?_

_NEVER! There's got to be another way!_

_There IS not other way,_ Ginny realized desperately.

"Ginny!"

* * *

Hermione was walking down a hall to her first class, wondering where Ginny had gone. They usually walked together, but Ginny hadn't been in her dorm or the Gryffindor common room.

_Wait… why is she…Ginny?_

_"_Ginny!"

She looked up.

"Ginny, what are you doing sitting on the floor?" Ginny put on an air she hoped was off-handed.

"Oh, I tripped, and was too lazy to get up." She let out a flustered laugh. Hermione grabbed Ginny's upper arm and helped her to her feet. Then they linked arms and continued together on the way to class.

"Ginny, you are not a lazy person, but that's been your excuse twice, for your grades and just now. What's up with you?"

"I'm just…

"Exhausted? I don't know why you don't want to tell anyone about this, Ginny, but something's wrong."

"I have been sleeping fine, I just…" Ginny's tired brain couldn't come up with an excuse.

"Just what?"

"Nothing, I just have had this nightmare for the past few nights, I'm fine."

"Ok, but if it comes back tomorrow, I'm taking you to Madame Pomfrey for some rest." They arrived at Ginny's classroom.

"Hermione, thank you for being a friend, but I really am fine." They shared a quick hug, and Ginny disappeared into her classroom, sadistically triumphant. She had been playing this game for six years, and she wasn't going under now.


	5. Chapter 5:Ghost touch

Draco Malfoy walked into the Great Hall late, and managed to eat a bagel before it was time to head to class. He talked with Crabbe and Goyle until they parted directions. He turned into the same hallway he collided with Ginny in earlier. He saw her still sitting in the same place and position she landed in when he got up.

He climbed up onto a windowsill and perched there until Granger walked up and the two started talking. He cast a charm that would leave him unnoticed but not invisible or immaterial. As Ginny walked by, he reached out for her on an impulse. His hand passed through her hair that no longer seemed garish, but rather brilliant. The sweet scent of her skin wafted up to him, and he felt a deep longing to taste that sweetness, to lick her naked body from head to toe. _Wait…WHAT!?_

Draco shook the thought from his mind, lifted his concealment charm, and walked away to his next class.

* * *

Ginny walked into her classroom and took her seat, waiting for the day to start. She put her head down on her arms and…

"Ginerva!"

"Ooof…sorry, professor", Ginny said.

Damn. The first real sleep she'd gotten in god knows how long, and it only lasted…she cast a quick tempus charm…fifteen minutes.

"Detention, Ginerva."

Fine by her. It would fill up a few hours of her day. She groaned and put her head back down, but felt the Void grow deeper so snapped it back up. _Defense Against the Dark Arts_, she told herself. _You need to focus_.

She tried to clear out her mind so she could focus on the class. She emptied out everything except what related to Defense, and stored them behind her mental wall where she usually tried to contain the Void. But one persistent memory wouldn't leave her.

A pale hand running its fingers through her hair.

_Now when did that happen? No one I've dated has skin that white; in fact, no one has pale skin like that here except Draco. No, Malfoy. But I don't remember that this morning…_

She snapped her mind back to her class, but the image kept returning. She knew it hadn't, but still she imagined that it had happened. She could almost feel the gentle caress; a brief touch.


	6. Chapter 6:Days Pass

The days passed, and thoughts of each other left Ginny and Draco's minds as both were involved in their own lives and inner torment. Still, though each had willfully forced this to happen, they were left with a deep regret that things couldn't be different.


	7. Chapter 7: One or the Other

_Draco was yet again forced down into the dungeon with his father's hand grasping his neck firmly as had happened may times before. But this time it was different. This time his blunder was too big. HE had let Harry Potter out of his sight, HE had let Sirius Black escape. HE was the one who started the chain events that led to the Order of the Phoenix regrouping, essentially. It made no logical sense to Draco, but he knew that he was the vent for his father's fury; Lucius would not be satisfied with kicking around House Elves when he was in a foul temper. The door creaked open when Lucius kicked him, and Draco's eyes widened when he saw Rosalina lying on the floor. _

"_No", he breathed. _

"_Rape her"_

"_Father, no. I won't."_

"_Then she will die", Lucius said coldly._

_Draco leapt down the stairs to the girl's side, and whispered in her ear. _

"_It is your choice. I know that death will probably be a relief to you, better than what I will have to do to you. But I don't want to do it to you, I want my first time to... to..."_

"_It doesn't have to be either, you know" Rosalina whispered to him. Draco's eyes widened at what she was suggesting. He slowly reached for her, disgusted for a moment at her filth and the body that looked years below her age. But when his fingers stroked her tear-streaked face, it fell away, along with the dungeon and Lucius Malfoy, who was watching from the doorway. His lips met hers, tortured and torturer locked together for a brief moment. Draco felt more love in that kiss than he has in his entire life. Love from a person in this state, for the person who had put her there. Draco could not breathe, could barely move, but when he licked Rosalina's lips and she let his tongue inside her moth, he sighed deeply and put his arms around her._

_Lucius Malfoy, watching from the top of the stairs, looked on in disgust as his son fondled the vermin in the pit. A son of his, and a filthy mudblood from his dungeons. This was supposed to be torture, not a love-fest! He whipped out his wand._

"Avada Kedavra"

_Lucius Malfoy, his thirst for evil quenched by the emotional pain he saw in his son, turned on his heel and strode from the room._

_Draco looked down as Rosalina rolled lifelessly back in his arms. He almost let a pained shout escape from his throat, but then looked down and saw her face. It was so filled with peace that he knew he could never grieve for her death, but would always long for her touch._

"_It has to be one or the other, love."_


	8. Chapter 8: Leap into the Void

Draco had been haunted by Rosalina incessantly ever since he had pushed Ginny away in the hallway. He could not sleep at all; he hadn't for the two weeks that had passed since then. All of his strength throughout the days came from the energy potion he took that became increasingly concentrated as the days passed and the normal dosage became insufficient.

He wandered the halls at night because he could not sleep, and did not want to waste his nights alone in the dark amidst the snores of Crabbe and Goyle. Not that they weren't wasted anyways.

Tonight was the night, though, that his numb consciousness would be snapped back into life. Draco could feel this in his bones, and anticipated release from the bondage of the apathy that stemmed from hurt and ruin.

_One or the other_

Draco thought about the excitement, the revelation that seemed to surround him and flow through him but that he could not absorb.

Something was going to happen, something big. something terrifyingly enigmatic; terrifyingly good or terrifyingly atrocious.

_Or maybe nothing at all, maybe I just want release so badly that I'm starting to kid with myself._

* * *

Ginny lay in her bed, weary and sleepless, thinking about how to kill herself. She ruled out potions or spells, hanging, or drowning. She had been suffocated for the last six years, and she didn't want that to be how it ended. She decided that she wanted to jump; highly symbolic, jumping onto the Void. And the fall would give her those few moments of freedom as she soared through the air. It felt weird, planning her own death, but oddly satisfying. This was the one thing she could control. Ginny impatiently decided that she wanted out NOW. She snuck into Harry's room and filched his Invisibility cloak, leaving a note telling him where to find it. She snuck unnoticed to the highest tower, a place she had gone to for peace many times before. She would find peace there now, once and for all.

Ginny opened the door of the tower and stepped out onto her favorite perch. She stepped up to the balcony and dropped Harry's cloak. She magicked a brick loose and settled it on top of Harry's cloak so that it would be there for him to find in the morning.

Slowly she stripped down to her favorite bra and shorts, and stepped up to the balcony's edge. She reveled in the feel of the cold wind giving her goose bumps across her arms, her legs, her neck, and the tops of her breasts.

She climbed up onto the low wall that separated her from thin air. The stone was smooth and cool beneath her bare feet. Ginny took a deep breath, said a secret goodbye to her family, and leapt. In the moment that her feet left the edge, she felt a deep pang of regret, and her mind flew one last time to the image of a pale white hand caressing her hair…

* * *

Draco, on his rounds about the castle, decided to head towards his favorite place to think in peace. He was about to walk through an open door to the balcony of the highest tower at Hogwarts, when he saw movement. Ginny pulled off Harry's invisibility cloak and weighed it down with a stone.

_Twenty-five points and detention for being out late at night, ten more for destroying school property…_

His breath caught as Ginny slowly pulled off her robes, and then her shoes and socks. She was standing in a simple black bra and a pair of grey, black, and green plaid shorts. The colors contrasted sharply with her creamy pale skin and freckles, and her red hair that blew around her in the wind, giving her an eerily sepulchral appearance before the backdrop of a perfectly clear midnight sky.

Then she walked to the low wall surrounding the balcony, and stepped on top of it.

Draco wondered to himself, _what is she… _

And then his racing heart froze when Ginny jumped.


	9. Chapter 9:Foiled plans

Draco's eyes widened with horror as Ginny's feet left the ledge. He ran forwards and tried to grab her back, but his fingers only managed to brush her long hair. He screamed in pain and sorrow at another life being torn from his grasp and his inability to prevent it.

_Duh, you twit. WIZARD_!

Draco whipped out his wand and stopped Ginny's fall in the moment before her head hit a large rock. He levitated her back up to the balcony, and once she was lying on the floor, he knelt down and covered her with her robes.

_Dead? _He checked her pulse. _No, unconscious. Thank Merlin_.

He pulled her head into his lap and began to stroke the scarlet hair he had felt at his fingertips twice now. It was soft and silky, and he ran his fingers through it for countless minutes, combing it out across his thigh with his hand. Then he reached down and stroked her cheek with his thumb, reveling in the smooth feel of her skin that was beautifully free of makeup. Then he gently stroked the bags under her eyes, so similar to his own. She looked as though she hadn't slept in ages.

_But yesterday she looked fine._

Then he remembered his own ritual concealment charm and put two and two together.

Draco leaned down and kissed Ginny's closed eyelids gently, one and then the other.

They fluttered, and Ginny opened her eyes. They widened in surprise.

* * *

Ginny opened her eyes to see Draco's face hovering above her. She realized that her head was on his lap, and that even better - _No, worse!_ Even worse, she was alive. Ginny jumped up off of the ground, Draco standing alongside her.

"What happened?"

"What do you mean what happened!? You jumped off the bloody tower!"

"That's what I thought. Why am I back up here? Why are _you_ here?" Ginny asked.

"I came up here to think. I saw you jump. What the _HELL_ was I supposed to do!?"

"Fuck, I wanted to live! No, die, I want to die!", Ginny wailed

"No you don't, Ginny."

"_Damn_" Ginny whispered. Then she noticed the bags under Draco's eyes that matched her own, and like Draco had done to her, she reached out to stroke his eyes. As her hands approached, Draco closed his eyes, sighing inside as here thumbs gently smoothed across the lids. Then Ginny cupped her hands around his face, leaned up and brushed her lips softly across his closed eyes.

"_Thank you_", she murmured as she withdrew.

Draco's eyes flew up and found hers. He looked her over completely from toe to head. Her delicate feet and black toenails, her shapely, muscular calves and thighs, and her flat, toned stomach with lightly defined muscles. _Six pack…impressive. Must come from Quidditch._

He continued looking over the rest of her body, feeling his pants tighten when his eyes rested on her full breasts; the way they lifted away from her body, their delicate cleavage, not to deep, but definitely present, just the way he liked it. _If only she weren't wearing that bra…_

Draco tore his eyes away from her breasts and kept wandering upwards to her strong shoulders dusted with light freckles, her long slender neck, pale and inviting. Then he focused on her face. He recognized the features that inspired so much hate before, and saw them filled with the same look that so reminded him of Rosalina. He found it impossible to hate the redhead standing before him. Draco looked deep into her lime green eyes, and saw sadness, pain, anguish even; helplessness and loneliness. But he also saw a peace start to take over, and a playful look was also present.

"Like what you see, Draco?" Ginny asked coyly.

At his expression, Ginny looked pointedly to the bulge in his pants. Embarrassed, Draco looked quickly away, but Ginny's hands still framing his face forced his gaze back to hers.

When she did, Draco saw something that made him double-take. He stepped behind Ginny, took her right hand in his, and started to turn her wrist upwards.

Knowing what he was trying to see, Ginny tried to pull away, but Draco succeeded in revealing the red slashes and pale scars. Ginny stopped pulling to get away, and turned her head to look into his eyes, which revealed an enigmatic emotion that had no name.

She turned back to look at hr own wrist. As she did, Draco changed her hand from his right to his left, laying his forearm across her stomach. His own wrist, which had before been covered by Ginny's, was in the same condition.

With her left hand, Ginny ran her finger lightly across the red and white lines that separated his skin, but drew the two of them together.

Draco ducked his head down and buried his face in Ginny's neck, inhaled her sweetly erotic scent, and whispered into her ear.

"_I know your heart"_

Ginny gasped at the words, at the warm breath and warm words tickling her ear, and at Draco's warm hand that was creeping across her belly until she was wrapped completely in both of his arms.

All of the weariness left Draco and Ginny; they became each for the first time in the six years since their torment had started, indefatigable.

They stood for hours like that on the top of the tower until dawn broke and they saw people emerge onto the lawns. Draco bent down and grabbed Ginny's robes, pulling them over her head, slightly disappointed about covering up her arousing body.

He buried his face again into her neck and inhaled deeply, drinking in the scent of her skin that he had been reveling in all night. He thought for the hundredth time about how he nearly lost this aroma forever, and said a prayer of thanks that he had happened on this tower at the right moment to stop Ginny's suicide in its tracks.


	10. Chapter 10:Confession and Confrontation

Harry, Ron and Hermione burst onto the tower just then, completely distraught. Ron had Ginny's suicide note grasped tightly in his hand. Then at the sight before them they stopped, confused.

Ginny was not dead as they had thought, but quite alive and wrapped tightly in Draco's arms. Ginny and Draco broke apart at the interruption, and the five stared at each other for a few moments, shocked.

Hermione reacted first, hugging Ginny and saying,

"Oh, my god, Ginny. I was so terrified that you had actually done it. I mean…I guess…you were going to jump off that?" She eyed the balcony warily as Harry and Ron moved to hold Ginny tightly in the middle of a group hug that, needless to say, did not include Draco.

"I _did_ jump. This bastard had to go and stop my fall." Ginny gave Malfoy an "evil" glare.

Harry and Ron gaped in amazement at Draco, who merely shrugged. Hermione again was the first to break the silent staring contest, saying,

"Why did you do it, Ginny?" Eight eyes were suddenly focused on Ginny.

"I… I…"Ginny fell silent and stared at the ground. Then she looked at their faces one at a time, reading their expressions: Harry's empathy, Ron's heartbreak, Hermione's despair, and Draco's understanding. She knew suddenly that her grief was a burden they were fully willing to bear, and that being kept in the dark at this point would only increase the encumbrance.

She spilled her heart out, telling everything that she had worked so hard to conceal. The wall she had built up had shattered the moment her feet left the ledge, and throughout her story she could feel the presence of the Void so much more sharply than before.

It had been filled when she had stood in Draco's arms and had therefore retreated, but it now was in the forefront of her mind, reacting autonomously to everything she said and thought. It pulsed with pride when she described its effect on her life and its dominance over her, and it gave a contented sigh when she told of her encounter with Draco in the hallway.

At this moment eyes flew towards Draco, and he looked at the three he had previously counted as his worst enemies with an unreadable expression.

Ginny kept talking, covering the past two weeks in about as much time as she had broached the past six years.

When she was done telling about everything that had happened, she again looked into the expressions on her friends' faces. Their countenances had become enigmatic; particularly Draco's.

She looked into his eyes for endless moments, staring into them and seeing a different familiarity. Before she had merely recognized their icy silver color as one of the intangible elements of the Void, but she now realized suddenly that they _were_ a Void.

Ginny wondered what was going on beneath Draco's unreadable expression.

"_AAAA-HEM."_ Rod cleared his throat loudly. Ginny looked at him, but Draco kept his eyes fixed on her face.

"Malfoy." Ron said coldly. Draco made a noise of acknowledgement, never taking his eyes from Ginny's face.

"Thank you for saving my sister. Now may I inquire as to what sparked this uncharacteristic act of kindness?"

"R_on!" _Hermione hissed.

Draco looked at Ron furiously.

"I may loathe you, Weasel, but I do have enough humanity in me to know that I can't just watch someone commit suicide. Maybe it's too much for your simple mind to understand, but I am not just a hate-driven, power-hungry Slytherin bastard as you seem to think." Ron looked away, shocked more at the almost civil tone of Draco's voice than his words, and quickly changed the subject to something safer for him. Or maybe not so safe…

"Ginny, mum is on her way over here."

"WHAT!?" Ginny shouted incredulously.

"Well, excuse me for thinking that she might want to get the message that you had killed yourself." Ron said defensively.

"Ron, that was a bit harsh" Harry said quietly in his ear.

"You still shouldn't have…" Ginny trailed off as she realized that the first thing she would have done if Ron had left a suicide note would be to owl her mum.

"Speak of the devil," Hermione said as Mrs. and Mr. Weasley apparated outside the gates.

"Here it comes" Ginny murmured.

No one but Ginny noticed that Draco had slipped out of the tower.


	11. Chapter 11:Molly Mayhem

A tearful Mrs. Weasley, followed by her husband, was ushered into the Gryffindor common room by Mrs. McGonnagal, and she gasped at the sight of her daughter sitting by the fire with her three best friends, alive and well.

"Ginny!" She ran to hold her daughter. Ginny was quickly flanked on either side by her parents' loving embraces. After a few moments, Mrs. Weasley was satisfied that Ginny was unharmed, and promptly lit into her.

"GINERVA WEASLEY, WHAT WERE YOU THINKING? YOU KNOW BETTER THAN TO PLAY A PRANK LIKE THAT! WHY, YOU HAD YOUR FATHER AND I WORRIED HALF TO DEATH! HOW WERE WE SUPPOSED TO KNOW THAT THIS WAS ALL SOME JOKE?"

"Mum", Ron said quietly.

"NOW, THANKS TO THE TWINS'S PRANK SHOP I'VE COME TO TERMS WITH THE IDEA OF A HARMLESS JOKE, BUT FAKING SUICIDE IS BY NO MEANS HARMLESS HARMLESS!"

"Mum", Ron again tried to cut her off.

"AND NOT EXPLAINING TO YOUR FRIENDS THAT IT IS A JOKE IS EVEN WORSE, AND LEAVING THAT NOTE WHERE THEY CAN FIND IT!"

"MUM!" Ron roared.

"FOR HEAVEN'S SAKE, RON, WHAT IS IT!?" Molly turned on him, her glowering stare threatening murder.

"Mum, it wasn't a joke." Ron said quietly. "She jumped off the tower. Malfoy saved her." Mr. Weasley gave a surprised start at this.

"Lucius' boy? I rather thought he took after his father. Aren't you always complaining about how rotten he is?"

"He is not!" Ginny said. "He stopped my fall in midair and levitated me back up to the tower. And then he made me realize that I need to keep going, not just give up and die. Anyhow, he's not who we thought he was!" Mrs. Weasley, who learned to find a moral in everything from raising so many kids, said," Well, this proves that you can't judge people on a first impression."

"Well, our 'first impression' of him stayed pretty accurate for about seven years." Ron muttered. Mrs. Weasley ignored him and put her arm around Ginny again.

"Well, dear, do you want to talk about all this?"

Ginny shook her head, saying, "I just talked for about four hours straight. There is nothing I want less than to talk about it. I'm really tired right now, and I think I might actually get some decent sleep."

Mrs. Weasley started to protest, but Harry and Hermione, knowing about Ginny's sleeping patterns (or lack thereof ) ushered her upstairs. Ron alleviated his mother's protests saying,

"Mum, she's been through a lot. Let her talk about it tomorrow."

"But what if she sneaks off again in the middle of the night?" Ginny, halfway up the stairs, heard this and called back,

"Mum, I'm fine! I'm not going to go sneaking off!" and then she added a moment later, "I love you!"

Mr. Weasley took his wife's arm and started to lead her out of the common room against her protests. Mrs. McGonnagal cut in and said,

"You two can sleep in an empty dorm room if that would make Molly feel better."

"Thank you", said Mr. Weasley. He took his wife's hand and led her upstairs.

* * *

**Wow guys, thanks so much for the great reviews! I really wasn't expecting that! I'm kind of new to the site, and this is my first fanfic, so bear with me while I learn the ropes! Actually, this is my first writing in prose outside of what I have to do for school. So sorry if the plot develops wierdly. I'm making it up as I go along.**

**On that note, I don't really know where this is going at this point. I know where it will end up, but I want to create some depth between now and then. So if y'all have one of those "Wow, I bet this is going to happen" moments, send a review about it and it just might actually occur. Unless you really don't want it to occur, and then I wouldn't tell me about it if I were you. =]**


	12. Chapter 12:Dreams Collide

Ginny and Draco both slept for three days straight, all through the rest of the week. They dreamt the same dream, re-living in sleep the hours they spent together on the tower. On Saturday they awoke at different times.

* * *

Draco awoke first. He started up when the acute nature of his consciousness overcame the encumbrance of his dreams, and the weight of the reality that this awareness brought along crashed over him. It was four o'clock, and he was all alone in his dark prefect's bedroom, covered in sweat atop his king-sized bed.

Draco got up and walked to his bathroom. He drew a bath and sank into the steaming water, never turning on the lights. He reviewed in his mind every moment he had ever seen Ginny, touched Ginny, smelled or spoken to her. He remembered his earlier cruelty towards her, an outwards expression of his inner turmoil, and the anger these memories stirred almost forced him to reach for the razor blade he kept hanging around his neck.

Draco drew the edge of the blade across his skin, and blood mixed with water in the bathtub. In the secret darkness, he traced the letters of Ginny's name.

_He wrote in calligraphy  
__But there was a twist.  
__His quill was a razor  
__And the parchment, his wrist._

Then Draco brought his bleeding wrist to his mouth and licked it clean, reveling in the coppery taste of his own blood and the thought of drawing his tongue across Ginny. He felt that he was closer to her in this moment than anyone had ever been, and at the thought he became passionately aroused and passionately possessive.

Draco got up and turned the shower on cold. The water calmed him and ran down his face, back, and legs, and blood flowed from his wrist in rivulets.

_Peace._

* * *

Ginny was dreaming of Draco, of the tower, and of drifting vaguely with him through time and space, feeling nothing but warmth and security. Then the vague feeling solidified, and she saw herself lying naked on a large bed with Draco beside her. She saw blood on the sheets and her name carved into his arm.

"_I love you this much", Draco said, showing her his arm. Ginny took his hand in hers and began to lick his arm clean, gently at first and then rough enough to cause him to moan in pain and pleasure. _

_Draco withdrew his wrist and wrapped his arms around Ginny, drawing her close and running his tongue from her shoulder to her earlobe, and then around the shell of her ear. _

_Ginny shuddered and drew Draco closer, but he only held her there for a minute before he drew away and laid her gently down on the bed. Ginny wrapped her legs around his waist as he crouched protectively over her and continued to glide his tongue all over her neck, shoulders, and chest. _

_Ginny felt that she was closer to him in this moment than anyone had ever been._

A cold shock awoke Ginny, which confused her because her dorm was perfectly warm. Ginny laid in her bed trying to wrap her mind around the though of Draco, thinking about the skinny yet muscular body she had seen in her dreams and the intensely gentle way Draco had handled her, and hoping that both were accurate representations of reality.

_

* * *

_

_**Kinda short chapter, but I was in english class. ****I was bored, so Ginny's dream got kinda...involved.****Then I remembered when I was typing this up that I had a T rating on this thing, so I made her wake up before the rest of the fun started. But I like it better this way, it shows a bit more of an emotional connection than a physical one. **_

**_But I am having a lot of fun writing about Draco being an emo kid._**

**_OOoooohhh, I remember what I was going to tell you!_**

**_The little poem in there was not written by me, it was by one of my friends, Alesha. She told it to me in Gov't. So hon, if you read this, sorry but it fit so perfectly. I could not resist. I adapted it a bit to fit the Harry Potter vibe what with the quill and parchment and whatnot._**


	13. Chapter 13:Windowsill

At breakfast in the Great Hall, Ginny fought back frustration as her thoughts of Draco and her secret glances at him were interrupted by concerns from friends who hadn't seen her for days. She got through meaningless conversations with great aggravation and then tried to connect with Draco's eyes that were constantly n her face. It seemed that she only managed to meet his eyes for the tiniest moments before she was called again.

"Ginny!" _Oh, great. Another one,_ Ginny thought. She turned to see Hermione's face. "You ok? You've barely touched your breakfast."

Ginny turned her eyes away from Hermione back to Draco and said,

"I'm fine, just a bit distracted. Hey, do you mind stopping anyone who tries to talk to me?"

"Ummm… Sure?" Hermione responded tentatively.

Ginny's gaze was finally linked to Draco's, and she smiled at the fact that they were silver, not gray; proof of the embraces he had given her, which in her deep sleep had seemed almost like a dream themselves.

Draco's eyes said, _follow me_, and he got up and walked out of the Great Hall. Ginny watched the doors shut behind him, then said goodbye to Hermione, who was talking with Ron and Harry, and left also.

* * *

Draco walked into the Great Hall and took his seat at the Slytheryn table. He searched the hall with his eyes trying to find Ginny. His blood flowed to his loins at the memory of her pale skin simmering in the shadows, and he felt the brush of his robes acutely against his erection.

Crabbe and Goyle sat down beside Draco and slapped his back in greeting, not daring to question where he had been. Draco ignored them, though a bit thankful because their arrival had effectively muted his arousal, and waited for what seemed like hours for Ginny to arrive.

She walked through the doors with Hermione and thankfully took a seat facing his. Her eyes searched around the room and connected with his eventually. Draco again felt the rush of arousal at the amazing green of her eyes, even visible across the Great Hall.

Ginny's gaze was too quickly pulled from his as she held soundless conversations with peppy girls with mock concern in their faces. Then after a brief conversation with Hermione, her eyes met his for an indefinable period of time.

God, he needed her. He needed to speak to her, to smell her, to be in her presence, just to solidify the amorphous experience on the tower. He gave her a look that he hoped conveyed his need, and left the room.

* * *

Ginny couldn't see Draco when she first stepped outside the Great Hall, but she knew where he has gone. She turned a few corners into the hall where they had first met—well, truly met, at least. Draco was half-laying, half-sitting on a wide windowsill that was just above her head. His eyes were half-closed, and he was looking down at her with a blank face that was basked in sunlight.

Ginny reached out and stroked Draco's hand with the tip of her middle finger, and his neutral expression jumped to life. He folded his hand around hers, and with his other, Draco whipped out his wand and levitated Ginny until her feet were at the edge of the windowsill. She stepped forwards in midair onto the ledge Draco was perched on and knelt down facing him.

Draco brought the hand he was holding to his mouth and kissed the fingertips gently, one by one, and then the palm. Ginny closed her eyes and laid forwards onto Draco's chest. His arm went around her waist and he let their still linked hands dangle off the edge of the sill.

Draco and Ginny laid like that for a few minutes solidifying their emotions and feelings regarding each other, and wondering about this strange connection they had so suddenly discovered.

Ginny suddenly sat up and looked into Draco's eyes.

"Draco, where did this come from?"

"What do you mean, where did this come from?" Draco asked, feigning ignorance. As much as he wanted to put this topic behind them, he didn't want to talk about his revolting treatment of Ginny.

"You know perfectly well what I mean," Ginny said, drawing away. Draco felt the warmth of her body recede, and the disappointment settled into his stomach like a stone. He sighed and sat up as well.

"It rather goes without saying that I've been a complete dick to you for… actually for the entire time I've known you, and if you didn't speculate a sudden overnight transformation into…I don't know… prince charming or whatever, I'd think you were completely daft, but the honest truth is that if I saw anyone else treating you as I used to I would curse him until even Madame Pomfrey would have trouble curing him, and I can't even begin to tell you how much I hate myself for doing even the slightest bit of harm to you, really, I do, and you know the reason for my cruelty is not that I hated you, or even anyone really, but I was cruel as an outlet for the pain from my father's cruelty towards me, but that is beside the point; the point is that I cannot imagine harming the smallest hair on your head now, and I really have to admit that it started—but only started—because you remind me so much of someone I used to love, and I didn't want that remembrance to leave and so I couldn't think about you in any negative light at all, but now you've taken me over completely, I don't even know how but I know that I want to be with you, Ginny; Ginny, I'm sorry." Draco leaned forwards and whispered the last words in her ear, releasing his breath across her neck and raising goosebumps of pleasure.

Ginny gently cradled his head against her head in an acceptance of this mixture of confession, apology and release, as Draco just breathed against her skin. Draco slowly put his arms around her and pulled her into his lap, careful not to knock her off the windowsill.

They laid there until it was time for class; Draco jumped from the ledge and held out his arms. Ginny paused for a moment, thinking about the last time she had jumped. Draco, sensing what she was thinking, said,

"Do you want me to levitate you down?" At this Ginny sat down on the ledge and prepared to jump. Draco held out his arms again and she fell into them, laughing. Draco swept her feet out from under her, swung her around onto his back, and piggy-backed her down the hall.

* * *

**Just to let you guys know, that big long sentance was a fully intentional writing technique, not laziness. It has a point and purpose. **

**And just to let you guys knkow, I have really come to look forwards to reading your lovely reviews, even critical ones. Actually, in a way, especially critical ones, because I can use that comment to improve where this is going. So thank you so much!**

**=^. .^=  
**


	14. Chapter 14:Ants on a Log

Ginny and Draco made their relationship official, but the only people who knew about it were themselves and Hermione. Hermione had only found out because she had walked down Draco and Ginny's hallway on the way to class and saw them snogging on the windowsill, so now she was Ginny's confidant in all matters Draco.

When Ginny was with Draco she felt complete in a way she had never been before. She felt complete when her whole family was gathered around a table of good food, she felt complete when she lay in the sunshine in an empty meadow, she felt complete zooming across a Quidditch field on a broom. But when was with Draco or even lost in her thoughts of Draco, she was filled with content.

The Void that had haunted her for six years was now only perceptively present when she was far away from Draco in body and in spirit, which was rare. Of course it was still there, but like it had on the tower, it lingered in the back of her mind, content. It knew it was to be quenched soon, and so no longer had to persuade Ginny to slake its lust for fulfillment. Ginny didn't even bother to rebuild her mental walls that she had used to try to keep the Void incarcerated.

Of course, Ginny didn't have any intentions of sleeping with Draco any time soon. But the Void knew her thoughts and her desires, and was satisfied with waiting for the time being, as long as Ginny spent time every day with Draco.

* * *

Ginny, her own problems at bay, was now losing sleep over worry for Draco. He had told her everything; about his father and the abuse he suffered at Lucius' hand, about the torture of the prisoners, and about Rosalina. He had planned never to tell her about the last part, but one day on the windowsill, as Ginny stroked Draco's bare forearm where her name was clearly visible, she asked him,

"The first time we were here together, you said I reminded you of someone you loved."

Draco then told Ginny her story, not holding back any details. He told of the times he has tortured and she had forgiven, the conversations they had when Lucius had swept from the room, their horrendous first and last kiss, and her death. Draco cried with his face buried into Ginny's stomach, and she stroked his platinum hair, completely silent.

Ginny dreamt that night of being tortured by Draco, his sorrowful silver eyes locked on her green ones the entire time, and then of making love to him directly afterwards. She awoke with tears on her face and with a need to be in Draco's arms to remind herself of the person she knew he was. She still had images of Draco as a heartless serpent like his father, but she fought them back with the moments she felt faint with joy in his strong arms.

About a month had passed spent like this; spending their time together fighting the Void and inner demons, lying content on their windowsill or by the lake or in Draco's room (Ginny got a shock when she first saw it because it looked exactly like it had in her dream), or just talking together and enjoying each other's company.

* * *

Now Christmas was approaching, and as much as Ginny couldn't wait to get home, she didn't want to leave Draco for more than a few hours. She was also nervous about Draco going home alone. Not only was he at his father's mercy, but they had been trying to stop cutting together and she was worried that the solitude mixed with Lucius' cruelty would get him started again. It has been a week since she had seen a new slit on Draco's wrist, and she had stopped a few days before then. Two weeks before Christmas one weekend at Hogsmeade. Sitting alone on a log in the surrounding forest, Ginny asked Draco.,

"Do you really have to go home for Christmas?" Draco laughed and replied,

"Because I know that you will be here alone pining for me the whole time."

"No, but I'll be pining for you at my house. Unless you want to-" Draco cut her off with one finger against her lips.

"Are you really about to suggest that I go to your house for Christmas, when your family doesn't even know about me?"

"Well, yeah, I mean… Draco, what if we told them?"

"Yeah, and have me killed in my sleep by an army of angry red-heads? It is a really good idea in theory, but if you throw Ron into the mix… and the twins…. Uuugh!" Draco shuddered playfully, and Ginny, who was in his arms, sighed and leaned against him at the feel of his body quivering beneath her.

"Ron IS really thankful that you saved me, and he has definitely noticed that you are using first names and are… nicer. I actually caught him calling you Draco the other day. Of course, he did say 'Draco the ferret-boy', but it's not like he said 'Malfoy the ferret-boy.'"

"Uh-huh. Well, we can give it a try, but if he jumps me in the halls, I just might take my chances with my father." He laughed bitterly.

"You really don't want to go home, do you Draco?" Ginny asked softly. Draco laughed again.

"No, really? Would you want to go home to that?" He saw Ginny's hurt face and cradled her head against his shoulder. "_Sorry_," he whispered. Then he said, "No, I don't want to go back to that house. But I can only avoid it if I'm staying with a friend. And as I said before, I'm not sure I would be welcome at your house." Ginny laughed brightly at this, startling Draco at with cheeriness.

"Well, if not being welcome is what you are worried about, you haven't met my mom. All you really need to do is compliment her cooking and say something nice about her and you're in." Draco laughed as the times he had seen Mrs. Weasley ran through his memory, and he could match up Ginny's words perfectly with Molly's mannerisms. Then his face straightened and he asked,

"What about your dad? And your brothers? Especially your brothers; how can I be sure they won't murder me in my sleep?"

Ginny stroked his cheek, turning in his arms to find a new position and eventually settling on sitting on his lap with her back against his chest and her head leaned back on his shoulder as he leaned forwards to meet her eyes. She thought for a while before responding.

"Well, if we tell Ron now and owl mum and dad, they'll have time to get used to the idea before Christmas. And if Mum takes a liking to you, and you already have an in as the man who saved her baby girl, she can decree your safety in our house. No one would dare go against her orders. Directly, at least."

"And see, that's what I'm worried about!" said Draco. "All the stories you tell about your brothers, while funny, have made it apparent that they aren't worried about indirectly disobeying her."

"You forget that in all those stories, I was the ones covering for them." Ginny said. She wrapped her arm around his thigh protectively. "If they harm one hair on your head, I will make sure they won't be able to walk right for a month."

"You know, let's just forget about the subject of my death at your brothers' hands, and just figure out how we are going to break the news to Ron without giving him a heart attack." Ginny laughed and kissed Draco's neck affectionately. Draco sighed and wrapped his arms around her waist with a smile. Plans could wait.

* * *

**Kinda long chapter because I'm trying to move the plot along. Also, it's the weekend and I have plenty of time to be writing. Hip hip hooray for Saturdays!!!**


	15. Chapter 15:The hour approaches

Ginny and Draco couldn't think of any way to soften the blow when they told Ron about their relationship, even with Hermione's intellect on the job. So instead, they decided to make the revelation as dramatic as possible, just so they could have a good laugh at Ron's expression later on. They decided to arrange a fake blind date for Ron in an empty classroom, and have dinner in the same room… at the same time.

* * *

Draco set the teacher's desk with a lace tablecloth, white china from the kitchen, and a wreath of roses surrounding an elaborate candle. He made the extra desks and chairs disappear, leaving only the one desk and two chairs in the middle of the room.

While Draco was setting up the room, Ginny was getting ready for the date. She decided on a green knee-length halter dress that left her whole back bare, and a silver chain around her neck that dangled tantalizingly close to her gentle cleavage. She decided to go in bare feet because the castle was chilly but the floor was magicked to be warm.

She met Draco outside the room an hour before Ron was supposed to meet them. He was looking sexy in skinny jeans, an open black jacket, and white t-shirt with a green tie. Ginny waggled her eyes at him as he eyed her appreciatively. He took her hand and led her into the room. Draco pulled out her chair and she sat down. Once Draco was seated, Dobby appeared with a plate of food. Ginny laughed at his cheeky grin and ostentatious bow as he set the food down, and then disappeared with a crack. Ginny looked at the plate and said,

"Mmmmm, strawberries!"

Draco laughed and reached forwards to stroke her fingers, then lifted her hand to his lips. He leaned back, drawing Ginny's hand along with him, picked out the best strawberry from the plate of food, and wrapped it in her fingers, eyeing her seductively the whole time. Ginny was successfully fighting back laughter until she opened her mouth to take a bite of the large strawberry. She gave a strangled giggle, and Draco looked at her curiously. Ginny suddenly burst out in laughter, and between her mirth, she managed to say,

"Sorry, Draco…_giggles_ …That was just so…" She laughed uncontrollably for a few moments, and then took a deep breath. "So corny!"

Draco, who until then had watched with amusement and bemusement, also burst into laughter at her red face and at her words. He and Ginny laughed together as Ginny attempted to seductively eat the strawberry. Then they started on the dinner.

They were almost done with desert when Ron opened the door and leaned against the frame, obviously trying to look suave. Then his eyes lit upon Draco and Ginny, and he shot up and took a step back. He stared at the two for long moments; Hands linked, leaning towards each other, Draco now lowering his fork from Ginny's open mouth, eyes locked on Ron like one would eye a wild dog.

The moment of truth had come.

* * *

**Hey, guys, sorry for not uploading yesterday! Mmy internet was down.**

**But just a warning, brace yourselves for some serious Ron action. The next chapter should not be read if you or someone in your family has a history of heart disease, or if you have respiratory problems, because the shock just may kill you.**

**Just joking, guys.**


	16. Chapter 16: I'm running on Dr Pepper!

"What is going on here?" Ron said, dangerously quiet. Draco opened his mouth with the intention of giving him a smart answer, but Ginny squeezed his hand to silence him.

"I _said_, what the _HELL_ is going on here!?" Ron yelled. He strode forwards quickly.

Draco got up and pulled Ginny to her feet also, stepping in front of her. Ron stopped when he was face to face with Draco. He looked behind Draco back to his sister, and then back to his enemy.

"You don't need to shield her. I would never lay a hand on Ginny. In fact, Malfoy, it would make more sense for you to be hiding behind _her_."

Ginny stepped forwards and wrapped an arm around Draco's waist. Ron looked away in disgust, and then looked back to his sister.

"Gin, what are you doing with him?" He asked.

"Having dinner," Ginny said pertly.

"With _Malfoy!?_ Ron shouted.

"Yup," Ginny replied.

"Dear god, Ginny, he's treated you, me, Harry, Hermione, and practically everyone we know like complete shit since day one!"

Draco, at this, stepped forwards and grabbed the taller boy's collar, dragging him down to eye level, but let go when Ginny pulled him back.

"You haven't seen him treating anyone like shit lately, have you, Ron?" Ginny asked rhetorically. After a long pause, she said, "That's what I thought."

"Ron." Draco spoke for the first time, and Ron's eyes shot to him. "I have been a bastard the entire time I've know you, but there is a reason for that. And no, it's not because I hate you or anything about your family like I've said before."

"Well, then what the hell is it/" Ron challenged. Draco sighed and ran his hand through his hair.

"It is something I'd rather keep between Ginny and myself, so pardon me if I don't spill my secrets to you. But I will tell you that remembering the way I used to treat Ginny completely revolts me, and-" Ron cut him off.

"I don't believe your little change of heart, Malfoy. You are still the little ferret everyone bit Ginny knows you to be. She doesn't realize it, but I know what you're up to, Malfoy." Ron said.

"And what exactly am I up to, Ron?" Draco asked as if he were talking to a child.

"You're playing her!" Ron shouted. "You slimy Slytheryn bastard, you're just using her as a… a… a play toy!..._Oomph!"_

Ron groaned as Draco's fist made contact with his stomach.

"_That_, my friend, is something I would never do. What you describe is a characteristic of my father and his ilk," Draco growled in Ron's face. "Now _never_ accuse me of having any bad intentions towards Ginny, or I swear to _god_, Ron, nothing she can say will stop me from smashing your face in." He backed up and whispered, "_sorry 'bout that"_ to Ginny.

"It's OK, he deserved it," she said, loud enough for Ron to hear.

"_What!? _I-" Ron started, but he fell silent when Draco suddenly pulled up his right sleeve to reveal Ginny's name set into a background of thin scars.

"What, the hell, Draco." Ron said quietly. The two stared eye to eye for countless moments; Ron's face revealing shock and Draco's face revealing no emotion whatsoever.

"Why is my sister's name carved into your _ARM_!?" Ron shouted he last word incredulously.

Draco was silent still, now regretting showing something so personal to Ron. He was frozen; he didn't know what to do from here on in. Neither did Ron, apparently. He stood gaping at Draco's arm, still held out in front of him. Finally he turned on his heel and ran out of the rood, leaving the couple standing silently motionless.

* * *

**I am sorry, my dear people, for failing to upload! Major project for English and all that rot. But I am happy to forsake fanfics for English papers, not because they are more enjoyable, but because they will only improve my already impressive writing skills. Actually, that was sarcasm. The project included no writing whatsoever. But it did bring out my impressive skill for drawing anime characters. The only problem is that the dude I drew was supposed to be South American, and he ended up looking asian. **

**So, sorry about the long ramble there, my self control is gone tonight because I had Dr. Pepper. That stuff is my drug, man. You can keep your marijuana, I gots me some delicious soda that has 23 different flavors!! or is it 32? HELP! I DON'T KNOW!**

**My little hyper rants are the reason I have a lot of the friends I do, because they are almost all emo or bipolar, and I am the spice that makes their lives worth living. Not really, though. I'm just like an amusing toy. Actually, one of my friends does call me squeaker toy as a nickname. But that's just 'cause I squeak when pocked or squeezed. =]**

**Ok, this is definitely the longest message I have ever written you guy, and my sister is getting mad at me because I am having an entirely different random conversation with her simultaneous to me typing this, and the reason she's mad at me is ACTUALLY because she's trying to go to sleep, and I'm on the computer that is in her room while talking to her and I type really loud, so bye!!!  
**


	17. Chapter 17:laughter

Ginny slipped into the Gryffindor common room about an hour before curfew, still in her green dress. She saw Ron whispering quietly to Harry and Hermione, and was glad he had the discretion to keep his voice lowered. _Or maybe not_, she thought when she saw several pairs of eyes follow her across the room to the couch and chairs clustered in front of the fireplace where the trio was sitting.

"I swear it's true. Her name was _CARVED_ into his _ARM!" _Ron's vehement whisper hissed its way into Ginny's ear.

"Ron," Hermione said.

"Don't 'Ron' me. I know what I saw! I was staring at his arm for about a minute!" Ron protested quietly.

"Not that." Hermione nodded towards Ginny, who was hovering behind Ron, trying to hear his low voice. Ron whipped around and when he saw his sister, he shot up and grabbed her shoulders, shaking her slightly.

"Ginny!" He pulled her into his arms. "He didn't hurt you." Ron had an angry relief in his voice. Ginny pulled out of his grasp abruptly at his words.

"Of course he didn't hurt me. He would never hurt me," she said with a mixture of exasperation and something so soft that it eluded recognition. Hermione got up, took Ginny's hand, and sat her down on the couch. Then she seated herself on the coffee table in front of the couch, creating a square of bodies. Then she spoke.

"So, it's agreed that none of us like Draco too much." Ginny opened her mouth to protest but Hermione clapped a hand over her mouth as Ron and Harry nodded forcefully.

"And you both think that Ginny's being completely daft to even think of dating him." There was more vehement nodding alongside a protest from Ginny that was cut off with a silencing spell.

"But we will let Ginny explain why it is that he has stopped making our lives hell and has been referring to us on a first name basis, and if her explanation is acceptable, then you two will _not_ give her a hard time about _anything_." Ron and Harry's faces fell slightly as Hermione looked each pointedly in the eyes, focusing on Ron much longer than she had on Harry. He gulped before finally looking away.

She lifted the silencing charm on Ginny, who was looking frustrated, but as soon as Ginny started to speak, she again clapped a hand to her mouth, Ginny grunted in frustration against Hermione's hand at being cut off _again_.

"And I want you to pretend that Draco is not your boyfriend –" at this Ginny smiled, and Harry and Ron looked just a little miffed, "– and completely objectively look at his character." Ginny paused to think, nodded at Hermione who removed her hand, took a deep breath, and _finally_ began.

"Draco is… he is the same person he was at the beginning of the year."Ron let out a triumphant noise, loud enough to turn a few heads. After glaring at him, Ginny continued.

"He has, however, changed the way he deals with his… problems. You three and I guess everyone he was jealous of, used to be a sort of outlet for everything he goes through. The first year you guys met, he was truly trying to emanate his father. But the next year…" Ginny trailed off, swallowed, and then started back up. "Something happened that… that changed the way he at least thought about things. He no longer hated you, but he was jealous –" Harry cut her off.

"What on earth does he have to be jealous of _us _about?" Ginny shot him a look that said, _you dare interrupt me again and I will kill you._ Harry gulped and motioned at her to continue.

"You'll have to ask him about that. As I was saying, he was jealous of you, so used you as an outlet for his emotions. Of course, when we first really bonded, which was actually that night on the tower, he stopped treating you guys so badly. It was partly for me, but also partly because we talk about everything, so that gives him a different outlet. So yeah, he's the same guy. But he also is more complete now than he was before."

Ginny could tell that Ron and Harry weren't satisfied, but it helped that Hermione already knew what was going on and was fine with it; that meant that she could put her efforts towards controlling Harry and Ron.

"Well, boys, any questions?" Hermione asked.

"Yeah… How long has this been going on?" Harry looked at Ginny.

"A little over a month. Ever since the tower." Ginny replied.

"So that's it!" Ron shouted, forgetting to keep his voice down. People looked curiously over at the group who had disturbed the quiet twice now.

"What's it, Ron?" Hermione asked after glaring away all the stares.

"She's only dating him because he saved her! Maybe he forced her into it, saying she owed him! It's all an act so he can use her for his –" Hermione was really on a roll with the cutting–people–off thing she had going.

"He is _not_ using her. I in fact had my own little conversation with Draco about this and he is completely sincere!"

"You _knew_ about this!?" Hermione nodded at Ron. "And you didn't tell me or Harry?"

"Harry or I, Ron, and of course I didn't, it was Ginny's decision to tell you. And now she has. Now come on, Ginny, before they kill us both." Hermione finished as Ron and Harry growled. The girls ran into Hermione's Head Girl dorm together. Once inside, Ginny asked,

"You talked to Draco?"

"No, actually, I didn't. I just wanted to shut those two up." Hermione laughed, and Ginny also started to snigger.

"Kind of backfired, didn't it?" Ginny said between her giggles, glad that she was able to laugh easily about Draco with someone other than him himself.

Outside, Harry and Ron were coming to grips with the fact that if Hermione was fine with this and would defend Draco and Ginny, there really was nothing to do. After Ron had cooled of enough to speak, he muttered,

"I hate it when she corrects my grammar."

Harry laughed at this, and Ron pretended to be mad until he joined in reluctantly. The two boys lost their already slowly deteriorating bitterness towards Draco in the mirthful aftermath of their debate over whether or not to murder the aforementioned Slytheryn.

* * *

**So I updated this chapter because I acidentally left something out the first time I was typing it, so sorry about that all you people!!**

**Thanks for your luvverly reviews!**

**=^. .^=  
-**


	18. Chapter 18: Strength

Ginny and Draco were sitting on their windowsill, backs to the sunlight with their feet dangling off the ledge. Ginny was telling Draco about the relieving resolution the previous night.

"You know what he said?" Ginny said with a small giggle.

"What?" Draco asked, a bit frightened at the devious look on Ginny's face.

"He asked why I had to look so nice for you." She leaned into his arm which was slung over her shoulder.

"If I had a sister who looked like you, I would make her wear a potato sack to every date." Ginny blushed and laughed at the idea of Draco defending Ron's behavior. She looked up to tell him this, but stopped when she saw an impish gleam in Draco's eyes.

"Hey," he said quietly. Ginny made a questioning face, and Draco responded, "Did you see the look on his face?" Ginny convulsed into laughter at the memory. She managed to gasp out.

"And the way he leaned on the door…" She trailed off into more giggles.

"Trying to look all debonair" Draco finished for her, before bursting out into laughter with her.

_*Author's note* to get a better image of what I was trying to portray, look up "buzzkill" on YouTube. "Crunchy peanut butter!!!!"=D_

When they finally quieted down, Draco pulled Ginny into his arms solemnly. Ginny was a bit disconcerted at the change of mood.

"But now I have a bit of bad news, love," he murmured into Ginny's hair, focusing in on her ear. He loved that she wasn't wearing earrings.

"What's wrong? Is it… Is it your father?" Ginny worriedly whispered the last part.

"No. Well, yes. Not in the way that you think. Lucius owled me back this morning. I requested permission to go to a friend's house for Christmas, the friend obviously being you, and he denied his permission.

"Wait, so… you have to go home for Christmas? Or can you stay here? At Hogwarts, I mean. "

"No, I have to go home. I can't go against his wishes, you know that. I'm not…" His voice broke, which was something Ginny had never heard before.

"Not what, Draco?" She asked, twisting in his arms to stare him in the eye.

"I'm not…" He turned away to get out of her gaze, but Ginny placed a hand on his chin and turned his face towards hers. He still averted his eyes until Ginny whispered,

"Look at me."

He did so, disconcerted at the green irises that were stronger than any veritasium potion.

"You're not what, Draco?"

He couldn't look away, but the green was forcing something out of him that he didn't want to reveal, not yet. But he couldn't help himself; he wanted his green-eyed angel to know everything about him.

"I'm not… not strong enough" His voice broke again, and a single tear slid out of his eye. Ginny drew in a sharp breath at his confession of weakness and at that single tear; the loneliness of it was even worse than if he had cried on her shoulder for hours. Ginny watched the tear trickle down Draco's flawless cheek until it reached his chin, and right before it was about to drop off, she leaned forwards an caught it on her tongue. Then she turned fully until she was kneeling, straddling Draco's legs, and wrapped her arms around him as he rested his head on her chest.

"You are the strongest person I know" She whispered, almost inaudibly.

Draco and Ginny stayed in that position, high above the activity of the school while time swirled around them with a calming pulsation like that of the sea.

* * *


	19. Chapter 19: Christmas surprises

Christmas break rolled around, and on the very first day away from school, both Draco and Ginny could feel the effects of separation. The Void was announcing its presence in an increasingly urgent manner, and Draco was reverting back to his old irritable self with the absence of Ginny's company.

Christmas at the Weasley's house carried out as it usually did. The Burrow was filled to bursting with the whole family, and the addition of Harry and Hermione. Everyone exchanged gifts and got the expected Weasley sweater.

Ron, of course, told Mrs. Weasley about Ginny and Draco's relationship, which didn't result in much, of course, because she remembered that he was to one to save her baby girl. Of course, Ginny helped her remember this fact, but remembered it was. On Christmas Eve, an owl flew through the window with a small package for Ginny. Ron snorted at the silver, gold, maroon and green wrappings. Ginny held it in her lap gently and opened all of her other gifts first, wanting it to be the last thing she remembered.

And hour later, everyone was sitting around in the living room, enjoying each other's company and the drowsy aftereffects of stomachs full of food and some muggle drink Mr. Weasley bought called 'eggnog'. Ginny still held Draco's package unopened on her lap, stroking the metallic ribbons gently. Fred or George – Ginny was so lethargic she couldn't tell – sat up and said,

"Oy, Ginny, you'd better open that box soon – we are all dying to know what ferret-face bought you." There were murmurs of agreement and Ginny threw a pillow at Fred/George's head.

"I'm going to open it, you twit! I'm just savoring the moment."

"It's an awful long moment," Ron muttered under his breath. Fred and George laughed with him as Ginny reached for the shiny ribbons.

_It's silly_, she thought to herself, _I'm so nervous about opening this, but… but it's just Draco, right?_ Ginny pulled the bow gently apart until the bow fell open, limp. She gently lifted the lid and drew out a beautiful silver necklace. It was a fine silver chain intertwined with emeralds, and hanging from it was, strangely, a large muggle coin about as big as a galleon.

"A silver dollar!" Mr. Weasley exclaimed excitedly. "Not only muggle, but American! That's a treasure." He eyed the coin that was twice foreign with a look of awe.

Ginny latched it around her neck, feeling the comfortable warm weight on her breastbone. Then she felt a strange tugging sensation at her navel that was slightly familiar.

In a flash, Ginny Weasley had disappeared. Then there was a knock at the front door of the Burrow.

* * *

Draco Malfoy walked with trepidation to the front door of Malfoy Manor. The house never failed to fill him with this mix of dread, anticipation, and general nerves. But it also was a symbol of how he had to conceal his true self at all costs for fear of his father's wrath, a task which he did not always fulfill with success.

Being in the presence of the home that was the residence of all of his inner demons reminded him of the stark contrast between the past month and a half and the rest of his life. Instead of locking his demons into a cage and having to deal controlling them when they managed to escape, he had been able to release them into the air, and Ginny's mere presence drove them away.

_Now I've gone soft – I hope I'll still be able to stop everything from showing. Thank Merlin Bellatrix forced me to learn occlumency._

Draco prepared his mind against the attack he had come to expect upon entering the manor, took a deep breath, and opened the door.

There was no one there, but as Draco silently crept down the halls of the lonely manor on his way to his wing of the house, he saw that his father's study was opened. Hoping to slip by unnoticed, Draco moved quieter than ever past the door. He turned the corner of the hall and let out a breath.

With a loud crack, Lucius Malfoy apparated in front of him. Draco forced himself not to flinch as Lucius regarded him with a stare that most would use to regard a house elf, not their own son. Draco knew that he may not look away, so he forced himself to hold the gaze of the man who was his father in title only.

Lucius's legillimency was so advanced that it was almost imperceptible, but Draco had honed his occlumency through years of living among Death Eaters. He noticed the tentacles of his father's consciousness invading the sanction of his mind, and he respond with his own subtlety by disguising his apparent lack of thought as lassitude.

Sated though discontent, Lucius turned to go back into his study without a word to his only son.

Once in his room Draco walked to the covered French Doors and threw open the heavy deep green curtains that asphyxiated the light, revealing a stone balcony high above a gothic-style garden with wrought – iron furnishings that in any other context would look regal, but here took on the appearance of instruments of torture.

That night, Draco took a dreamless sleeping draught to prevent any of the nightmares that took residence in this house from creeping into his dreams and strangling the images of his red-haired angel.

The next morning, Draco took his breakfast alone in his room. _Today is Christmas;_ he thought mournfully, wishing that he could be with Ginny. He looked at the gift that he had bought for Ginny – A fine silver chain with emeralds entwined in its embrace, from which dangled a strange silver coin that could only be muggle. It had a strange beauty to it despite its faded facade of old worn metal. The eagle on one side made Draco think of her beauty, her demeanor, and her thirst for freedom, while the regal woman on the front was slightly reminiscent of Mrs. Weasley.

Draco knew that Ginny would love it, but he was nervous about how her family would react when his owl swooped in and delivered it to her. He knew Ron had reluctantly accepted him, but still harbored a grudge. He also had been the butt of many a Weasley twin's joke. He hoped they wouldn't give her a rough time. Then Draco laughed, realizing that Ginny was not one to tangle with, and that she and her brothers probably held a respectful truce for each other in light of this. _I'm only thinking of her to take my mind off of this crap._

Draco wandered out onto his balcony, but immediately re-entered his room when he saw his father speaking with a Death Eater on the lawn. He moved silently out of his room and up to the roof of Malfoy Manor to the Babylonian garden that his mother tended with such care. It was the only place the Dark Lord's presence hadn't permeated; death eaters took no pride in gardening.

Draco flopped down in the comfortably padded chaise lounge, closed his eyes, and fell asleep despite the fact that he had woken only a few hours ago.

Lucius Malfoy made his way up to the roof, after the twit he had been conversing – if you could call it a conversation – left. He had seen his son's platinum head appear for a moment and knew that he would still be there.

Sure enough, Malfoy Senior saw Draco asleep on the chaise. Knowing that his son's defenses would be at their weakest now while he was not only asleep but also relaxed and comfortable, Lucius Malfoy slipped into his son's foreign thoughts without the need of word or wand.

At the visions of Ginny Weasley, a windowsill, kisses and touches shared in private and recently in public, Lucius Malfoy shook with rage. _Blood traitor_, his mind hissed to him. _He's sharing his life with a filthy blood traitor, and now he has become one. You know what we do with blood traitors, Lucius. _

_Yes, my Lord. It shall be done._

_NO! It cannot be as you have planned. The boy needs to learn who I am an forget who he is, so that he can be of use. He _will_ be of use._

_Yes, my Lord._

_Break the boy. Make him wish he had never been born. Make him retreat into himself to escape the world. His mind will become pliabe. Then take the girl. Make him torture her. Do not let him tough her skin, though. Their only contact may be through pain. If he touches her, all will be lost. Love is powerful, and even the illusion of love has merit. You _cannot_ underestiamte it. _

_Yes, my Lord._

Lucius Malfoy exited the balcony without waking his son, and he slipped into Draco's room. He searched the space looking for a necklace that was silver and green and bore a foreign coin. He found it resting in plain view atop Draco's dresser lying inside a green and red box. He muttered the spell that would turn the necklace into a portkey, envisioning the Malfoy dungeons while he said the words. Then Lucius turned and sat in his office waiting for Draco to wander by.

* * *

Draco's world was nothing but pain. Pain bursting in his head, in his lungs, in his stomach and liver and kidneys, inside his very being. His muscles twitched unintentionally with the excruciating blaze that exceeded anything that had ever been inflicted before. Blood seemed to pour out of ever pore of his body. He cried blood, sweat blood, breathed and exhaled blood. The saliva glands in his mouth started to produce blood. He needed to vomit, but he couldn't for fear of vomiting up all of the organs in his now loosely bound body. Then he felt the wounds stitch up and his consciousness slam back into his body with agonizing force. The pain never left him, though, remaining in his weakened form and flooding his senses.

"I suppose you know what this is about, don't you, Draco?" The cold voice of his father floated in from somewhere above, getting closer and closer until Draco felt that it was becoming the very air he breathed.

"_ANSWER!"_

"Yes," Draco managed to choke out. He was hauled to his feet and dragged to the dungeons. His heart sank with dread and his mind wanted to explode with what was coming. He saw the door to the dungeon approaching and strained futilely against the strong hand gripping his nape. The door swung open at Lucius's bidding, allowing the commander of the manor to pass unhindered. Draco's eyes widened at what he saw.

Narcissa Malfoy's ghost was hovering around the metal table that was so dreadfully familiar.

_No._

Narcissia's eyes were full of grief and full of anguish. The two emotions were mixed with anger when turned on her husband, but they then collaborated with love and a fierce maternal protectiveness when she saw her only son, broken and lost in his Lucius' grasp.

Silver eyes met a pearlescent white that had once been crystal blue, and Draco saw his mother's wishes there as clear as if they had been spoken.

_I would rather die at my husband's hand than by yours. Go now while you can, and never return._

The ghost turned its eyes back to Lucius and regarded him with hateful, angry contempt. Lucius disregarded her and released Draco to clap for a house elf. In that moment, Draco disapparated.


	20. Chapter 20: Captivated

Ron ran to the door of the Burrow and threw it open, expecting to see Ginny transported outside somehow. Instead, there stood a bruised, frail, and completely broken Draco.

"Where's Ginny?" Both boys spoke at the same time, and then their faces grew confused. Harry suddenly appeared at Ron's side along with all other human inhabitants of the Burrow.

"She disappeared as soon as she put _your_ present on, Malfoy," Harry said. Confusion turned to dread on Draco's weary face, and he was just about to speak when the pain in his beaten body numbed enough to let him pass out.

Everyone stood silent, only now registering the condition Draco was in. Finally, Mrs. Weasley's maternal instinct took over and she levitated Draco to the couch, simultaneously transfiguring it into a bed. Draco groaned in his unconscious state as one of the many sore spots on the back of his head pressed uncomfortably against a pillow. His eyes opened weakly at the pain and he was lucid just long enough to murmur the words,_ "my father…Ginny …necklace must…rtkey"_

Mrs. and Mr. Weasley, the closest two, had leaned in close trying to hear his words, but they only managed to distinguish those few incoherent words.

"Key, what key?" Ron said, confused.

"Key… key…" Mr. Weasley murmured, trying to piece together the words. Suddenly Hermione (of course) spoke up.

"Portkey! The necklace must have been a portkey, and it took Ginny to…" She trailed off and her eyes widened in fear.

"His father." Ron's words were leaden and full of dread. Then he sharply looked at the unconscious boy on the bed.

"I knew it!" he roared. "He's been using her this whole time to gain her trust, and now he's handed her over to the death eaters! His arm still has the Dark Mark! Look!" He lifted up Draco's left sleeve and revealed… more scars.

"Ron, you know those all disappeared when Voldemort died. Draco isn't a death eater. Besides, why would he show up here all bruised up and tired asking for Ginny if he knew where she was?" Hermione's logic was enough to cool Ron down jut a little, but he still wanted desperately to blame everything on Draco.

"Good cover?" he suggested weakly.

Mrs. Weasley, bustling around healing Draco by this pint, started shooing them back to give her room to move around. With everyone watching and waiting for Draco to awake, Mrs. Weasley set about stripping off his robes, leaving him in his boxers. At this point, Hermione's eyes were shielded by a jealous Ron's hand.

"Really, mum. Shouldn't you warn us before pulling something like that? No one here really has any desire to see Malfoy in his knickers," Fred or George said jokingly.

"Then you can all leave. Go on, shoo!" Mrs. Weasley adopted an incredibly Pomfrey-like demeanor.

"Are all healers like that?" Harry wondered aloud as everyone was forced from the room by Mrs. Weasley brandishing her wand.

* * *

Ginny was surrounded by darkness, unable to make out her surroundings. She tried to open her eyes, but they were already opened. So she shut then, trying to breach the never-ending darkness. The Void rushed at her closed lids, scattering her mind to the winds with unfathomable color that was simultaneously light and dark. This place sucked out all of her security and happiness, replacing it with an urgent desperation. She laid for some time on the cold rough floor, then paced for a long while, using the walls for guidance and feeling for a way out. She tried to find her wand next, but that search turned up useless as well.

Those hours passed slowly and painfully. The whole time she felt as if thousands of dementors were swirling around her, sucking every joy out of her and lending more and more strength to the Void with every passing second.

There was a sudden invasion of light. It wasn't very bright, but it was enough to make Ginny's blackened eyes wince in pain and relief. The relief, however, vanished as soon as she saw the reason for this light. A door had materialized on a previously blank wall, and in its frame stood Lucius Malfoy, holding the necklace Draco had sent her. Ginny, who was sitting on the floor against the far wall, stood slowly and warily watched Malfoy as he took three long strides towards her and placed his hand on the wall next to her head. His face was inches from her own, and Ginny consciously moved back, closing the small gap between her body and the wall, and adding that precious inch to the space between her face and Malfoy's.

He leaned forwards even more, closing the new distance between them and placing his forehead against Ginny's, smirking into her wide green eyes. She looked up at him fearfully as he triumphantly placed a smacking kiss on her cheek. With all of his willpower, Malfoy forced himself to push away from the wall and away from Ginny, but didn't take a step backwards. He moved his other hand, the one holding the necklace, up her body from waist to neck in a gentle, almost loving caress. Ginny recoiled at his touch and Malfoy slapped her hard across the face. Tears formed in her eyes as a red mark bloomed across her cheek. Lucius Malfoy leaned in again, clasping the jewelry around her neck while he breathed in her fear. He held this postition - his body pressed into hers, hands at the back of her neck, head bent down and nose buried in her hair - for undeterminable minutes, Ginny too scared to move. Then he turned on his heel and left Ginny alone with her tears.

* * *

**Hey, guys! How you likee so far? Good! Just a warning, it is about to become WAAAAAY darker. The rating will not go up, but it will deal with more depression and angst and some stuff that will VERY obviously give the story away. Plus ÜBER dementia on Lucius' part. Ah, btdubbs, can anyone think of anything else to call Lucius that is kinda disrespectful and that makes it obvious how loathed and despised he is? (In this story at least. I have read some excellent nice Lucius stories).**


	21. Chapter 21: HE'S ALIIIIIIIVVVVVVVVEEEE!

The Weasley clan, plus Hermione and Harry, crowded around an unconscious Draco. After being shoo'd away many times by a still Pomfrey-like Mum Weasley, only too re-group, the ensemble had been sitting still in the same position for a little over an hour. Mrs. Weasley had reluctantly joined them after she had nothing left to heal on the broken boy.

Even the collected and unruffled Mr. Weasley was jittery by the time Draco opened his eyes and moved to get up. He was immediately bombarded by a barrage of noise.

"Where's Ginny!?"

"Where does he have her?!"

"Malfoy, you take me to your father or I swear to Merlin I will undo everything my mum just did!"

"What happened!?"

"Why don't you have a bloody Dark Mark, Mate? Thought for sure you were one of those buggers!"

"Do you have any idea where your father has my daughter?"

"Mal- Draco, it is absolutely imperative that you help us find Ginny. Her LIFE is at stake!"

"HE'S AWAKE!!!!!!!!!!!"

**a/n see if you can guess who's who, and put your answers in your review. Life-sized Draco's made from chocolate for whoever can get all of them right!!! (or Ginnies if you're a dude.)**

"EVERYBODY HUSH!!"

Mrs. Weasley's voice thundered out over the din of everybody shouting at once, a skill that is very wise to learn in large families.

Once everyone was silent, she shoo'd them back about a foot with her hands, then turned to Draco and handed him seven vials filled with different colored potions.

"Here, Dearie. Drink the green one, then the purple, then that dusky one here, and after that the milky white one."

Draco tried to sit up, but his body was still to weak to manage even simple motor skills. He struggled for a while, though, unwilling to give up, when he felt a strong hand pushing between his shoulder blades, assisting his resistant body into a sitting position. Draco turned his head slowly and with much difficulty, and his eyes managed a glimpse of messy black hair hovering by his shoulder before he couldn't hold his head up any more. As Mrs. Weasley poured the first four potions down his throat, Draco was thinking,

_Potter is helping me sit up! Bloody Potter who I've hated since first year is the only thing keeping me from falling flat on my back, helpless in a house full of MORE people I've hated since first year!_

"All done, Dearie, now I recommend letting my boys know where your father-" She was cut off by Draco's voice, one of the only parts of him that was still strong after Lucius' relentless beating.

"NOT my father."

"Where Lucius, then," an exasperated Mrs. Weasley continued, "Is keeping Ginny holed up. Otherwise I am not responsible for any actions they can and will take."

Draco sighed, and as he felt the potions work, he lifted his head up.

"I don't know exactly where she is, but my best guess would be the Malfoy family dungeons."

**a/n Hello, cliché!**

As soon as the words were voiced, the Weasley men, Harry, and Hermione sprang into a flurry of action that could rival any Jason Bourne movie.

**So this is just me going over what I wrote before to restore consistency to my work. Sorry again about the hiatus. Planning on updating regularly again now :D**


	22. Chapter 22: NOT A REAL CHAPTER! SORRY!

HA-HAAAA!! My first flame! Now I get to put it up here for all to point and laugh. AAAAND, it is anonymous. Nice way to take a stand for what you believe in, buddy.

Jason  
2009-07-02 . chapter 1

I don't understand how you people have this "thing" for the so called prince of Slytherin. Draco Malfoy is a spoiled, weak, and whiny little brat. You all need your heads checked.

Ok, so order of business numero uno.

This is FANFICTION, bro. Where people make up their own stories to craft the book in whichever way THEY see fit. So if that means CHANGING Draco's character or making allowances for his so called brattiness, so be it.

(2) He is not a, as you so eloquentlky put it, spoiled, weak, and whiny little brat. Even if you are going to be a strict enforcer of the characterizations JK Rowling gave him, that would be an inaccurate description. He is in fact not weak, he has to go through a LOT, even if he is on the dark side. If in your mind he truly believes in Voldie's causes, it still takes great strength to be able to live up to the expectations of such a powerful dark wizard, and the expectations that come with being the son of one of said dark lord's most trusted sidekicks. Also, no where does he whine. Give me a quote from the book where he legitimately whines. And this does not count if he's trying to get out of trouble, because he will do anything he can to get out of tight situations unscathed. That is called craftiness, and he is acting. So, whiny quote. Can't find one? That's what I thought. Third, he is not a brat, even if you are going with Canon. Not even the golden trio call him that. They all call him a git. There is a big difference. Gittiness indicates thaet he can stop being a git if he so choses. Brattiness is an inherent quality. Don't like my explanation of that? That's ok, it made a lot more sense in my head. Fourth, I'll admit that he was spoiled. But in the sense of material posessions only. One culd say that Ron was far more spoiled that Draco, because he gets so muych love and care, which is much more significant that posessions. The spoiling just manifests in a more positive way.

(3) yes, I need to have my head checked. Anyone who enjoys writing about rape, depression, cutting, and possibly suicide needs to have their head checked. But I enjoy my craziness, and my antics amuse people :D So I shall refuse to go see a shrink.

(4) If you hate Draco so much, why did you start reading a Draco/Ginny romance? It clearly says the genre and the characters involved.

OK, done ragging! That was fun!

Disclaimer: I harbor no ill will towards Jason or whatever, and just put this here for the purpose of hopefully changing his mind and deterring other flames. They make me sad, no matter how fun it is to do what I just did. I also acknowledge that he is entitled to his opinion and can think whatever he wants. I am ok with the fat that he disagrees. He can just be more courteous about his disagreement, and I will be more courteous about mine. And finally, I acknowledge that he will probably never see this, because he definitely does not like my story and has not put it on alert.


	23. Chapter 23: Hey! Gimme back my razor!

**Sorry, y'all, I hit a major writer's block and had to rework my entire ending. That's the reason for the long hiatus. Please forget everything about animagus and stuff, the necklace is nothing more than a well-thought-out token of affection. Again, sowwies :(**

Ginny sat in her dark cell in the same position as before, but now praying with all her being that the dark would never end. Her prayers were answered with a "no", however, and her heart sank as the door again materialized and Lucius Malfoy again appeared in the doorway.

She was dragged through passageways without a word until they arrived in another cell, though this one was lighted with four torches of fiendfyre. Ginny was thrown to the floor, and Lucius turned to seal the door. Then he whirled back around and smiled at Ginny with a feral look in his eyes. He strode towards her, emanating the aura of a hunter cornering its prey.

Lucius leaned down and grabbed big handfuls of red hair. He pulled the frightened girl to her feet until her face was inches from his own. He viciously kissed her, teeth tearing her soft lips until blood sprang up. He then pulled her into some perverse version of a hug, buried his face into her neck, and whispered into her ear, punctuating his words with harsh bites that broke the skin.

"I know that Draco has told you all about me, about _this._" He pulled hard on her hair, eliciting a yelp of pain as Ginny unwillingly exposed her neck to his teeth. She knew what was coming now. She suspected before that he would do this to her, but now she _knew_.

"You've been bad, sneaking around with Draco behind my back. You must be punished. You know how my punishments work, don't you?" He hissed in her ear as she whimpered softly.

"_Crucio"_

Ginny went limp with pain, her body twitching involuntarily. Lucius held her up buy the shoulders and kissed her again brutally, practically drinking up the blood he had exposed earlier.

He let the curse run its course through Ginny's body as he raped her, only lifting it fifteen minutes later as he strode from the room, leaving her weak, bleeding and bruised, huddled in a heap against the wall where he had taken her.

* * *

The Burrow's state of distress was the only similarity to be drawn to Ginny's silent shame in the darkened cell. There was a golden glow that gave the flurry of frenzied activity a dreamlike quality as the girl's distressed loved ones acted on the autopilot that had been perfected by so many raids, rescues, and recons. The entire troupe: Ron, Hermione, Harry, the twins, Bill, and hurriedly gathered in the kitchen and apparated as one to the doorstep of Grimmauld Place.

As soon as they entered through the door they were met with a very similar whirlwind as aurors, buth known and unknown, threw various items on the table there. Blueprints of the Malfoy house, old reports on the history of each room and what it was used for, how to get through the wards, where to avoid, where anybody had been in at all in the past week, and a blank blueprint that Moody immediately charmed to show everywhere Ginny's presence had been known. Then he cast a spell that effectively combined all of the aforementioned information onto the last map, and also the same spell used on the Maurauder's map. The result was an almost complete cheat code to Malfoy Manor.

"We all set?" growled Moody as he gathered the chart in his arms. "Good. On the count of three. One-" He was cut off by Hermione's voice ringing out from beneath the table.

"No we're not!" She scuffed out from under a bench, a parchment grasped in her hand. Standing up she said, "This fell on the ground in the commotion. Read it." Moony snatced the paper from her, irritated. Then a shadow crossed his face and he sighed.

"We can't go now. How could I have forgotten? No matter how prepared we are, we can't get in unless we have somebody who's magical signature is keyed into the wards." Ron, brilliant as ever, piped up.

"Well, what does that mean?"

"We need the Malfoy boy."

* * *

Worlds away in a warm, safe, cozy burrow, a pale blond boy was tossing around on a rickety old sofa. His soft moans were barely audible, and were overpowered by the vehement conversation taking place in the kitchen.

"_Ginny…"_

"Mum, we NEED him! We can't get past the wards or find our way around that place without an insider!"

"He's too weak, he can barely even sit up on his own. You can have him as soon as he downs those other three potions in half an hour!"

"_Please. Hold on. I will never let you fall, Ginny."_

"Your DAUGHTER is at stake here! Malfoy could be doing ANYTHING to her right now!"

"You think I don't know this!? He is physically incapable of helping right now! Look at him! Do you think he can even walk right now!?"

There was a long pause. The only sounds were Draco's murmurings, which had become unintelligible from the distance of even twenty feet. Suddenly Hermione's voice piped up.

"Dobby!"

"What!? What's he got to do with anything?"

"Dobby! Don't you remember, Ron? It's been so long that even I had forgotten for a while, but Dobby used to be the Malfoy's house elf! He knows his way around the place, and House Elves can't be stopped by any wards!"

"Hermione, you're brilliant!"

"Harry, one if your voicing that sentiment did ANYTHING at all, I'd be smarter than Dumbledore and more powerful than Merlin himself."

"No need to get snappy, Hermione, it was a compliment"

"Ron, now you're the one being snappy!"

"Guys! Both of you! I know tensions are high, and-"

"Hush up, all of you, and go get my daughter!"

"Oh. Right."

There were several loud simultaneous cracks, and then Mrs. Weasley bustled through the door and over to where Draco was still turning around. He had fallen silent, but he looked even paler, if that was possible. Mrs. Weasley looked at the clock, then Draco, then the potions.

"Ah, bag it all."

She grabbed the potion vial and moved it to Draco's lips, but as soon as it touched his mouth, he violently spasmed, sending the vial crashing to the floor.

After a few long moments, Mrs. Weasley slowly pulled out her wand and used it to repair the broken vial and to siphon the potion back into it.

She carefully poured it down Draco's throat, then reached for the other two.

The second the last potion went down, Draco sat up suddenly, his strength returned. He stared at Mrs. Weasley for a while, trying to think of something to say. There wasn't much that came to mind, considering that this was the mother of the girl who had rescued him from depression, and who had received nothing in return but to be whisked away to the dungeons of a madman, who _happened_ to be his father, and who had beaten and raped her – _shut up!_, Draco told his spinning mind.

He couldn't think about that right now. She was fine, her rescuers were coming. She would be here soon, where he could hold her and make everything better, just like a fairy tale, although fairy tales don't usually involve being violently abused like Ginny had, though… _I SAID shut UP!_

Draco REALLY had to stop thinking like this. It was what had made his depression so much worse before; looking at everything so cynically while it still cut him so deeply. His mind's stark rendition was like pouring lemon juice over a wound. Which he had done before, on many occasions. Draco raised his hand to his chest for his razor, but it wasn't there.

"Um, Mrs. Weasley?"

"Yes, dearie?"

Draco blinked, taken aback at the casual use of the endearment, then asked, a bit awkwardly, because only Ginny knew about the necklace,

"Um, _I've really got to stop saying um,_ Where is my… my necklace?"

"Here you go, dear."

Mrs. Weasley handed Draco the chain, but there was no razor hanging from it.

"Where is the razor!?" Draco asked, more than a little miffed.

"To be honest, dear, I didn't think it was a good idea to let you keep it, considering the fact that you are quite obviously using it to hurt yourself."

"All right, keep it for now, but only because there are more important things going on. I'll want it back sooner or later."

"I don't-"

"Let's not get into this right now, alright? I don't want to be arguing with you when Ginny gets here"

Mrs. Weasley sighed, recognizing the end of the conversation. Draco moved to get up, wincing slightly as he stood.

"On second thought, where are they now? They need me to get through the wards."

"They have Dobby, dearie, they'll be fine." Draco sighed, exasperated.

"How is the elf going to be able to do ANYTHING to help?"

Mrs. Weasley fought and failed from keeping the confusion from showing on her face.

"I thought that house elves can get through any wards."

Draco threw his hands in the air.

"What are they, a bunch of morons? I thought Hermione was smarter than that!Of course the ELF can get through the wards. But he can't-"

Several loud pops sounded out.

"-bring the-"

Loud footsteps approached and entered the door.

"-Order-"

Every member of the rescue team stormed into the room.

"-With him."

Mrs. Weasley surveyed the frustrated faces and said, "point taken."

Draco shrugged on his robe that was lying on the foot of his bed, wincing as it slid over his battered shoulders.

"Alright, kids, you ready to play with the big boys?"

His tone was reminiscent of 'the old days' when there was a daily battle of the wits between the Golden Trio and the Prince of Slytherin.

Hermione huffed indignantly, but nonetheless kept her mouth shut as she turned and apparated with the rest of them. Mrs. Malfoy was left standing alone next to the transfigured couch, a huff caught in her throat as she said aloud, "I never said he was fit to leave."


	24. Chapter 24:Soon to come

As soon as they appeared outside Malfoy Manor, Draco crumbled to the ground. Hermione was at his side in a second, wand at the ready, but he reached out to stop her, sitting up slowly.

"I'm fine," he said, "It's just apparating so soon, and that squeezing sensation, that made me a bit dizzy."

Hermione backed off as Draco stood and looked into the eyes staring back at him.

"let's go."

The approached the wards cautiously, all but Draco, who strode purposefully and strongly to the gates. Once there, he turned and again addressed the team looking at him expectantly.

"There is a high possibility that my father set the wards to alert him when I pass through, so we need to move quickly once inside. Just follow me and you'll be fine." He began to turn, but halted and said, "And don't pay attention to the things that you see: either they are conjured images or traps, or more likely both." He reached into his pocket and pulled out a blade, toying with it as he asked, "Got it?"

Everyone nodded, excepting moody.

"No. You forgot to mention -- CONSTANT VIGILANCE!"

Everyone laughed at the lightened mood and took up their stances, wands at the ready. Draco took the knife in his hand and slit a clean line in his wrist for what he promised himself would be the last time. He moved around the group of nearly twenty, smearing a bit of his blood ion each of their wand tips as they watched on in fascination, their faces set into grimaces. Moments later, Draco strode through the seemingly empty archway guarding the manor and immediately set off at a quick pace.

Turning to the right, the team followed him closely. Hermione shrieked as, on the right, a wall with Ron's body impaled on long rusty spikes came into view. She grabbed desperately for his hand, which he gratefully took.

Ahead they saw Tonks stop in her tracks, staring at the same wall with a look of horror on her face, tears in her eyes and Remus' name on her lips. Hermione grabbed her hand as she and Ron moved passed, pulling her along with some difficulty as she quickly spoke.

"It's not real, Tonks, honey. I saw Ron and he's standing right next to me. It's a conjured image like Draco said."

Tonks removed her hand from Hermione's with a sheepish look on her face as they kept moving along the path, following Draco as he dodged off into unseen walkways hidden by shrubberies. They passed more images, like an endless Muggle horror film; loved ones and strangers alike were brutalized by Death Eaters and monsters of every constitution, terror and pain etched into every line of their bodies. Still they pressed on, trying best they could to ignore the screams and pleas for help emitting brokenly from the victims' mouths.

Eventually they saw less and less of the horrifying images as the packed dirt morphed into solid marble and the knarled trunks because astute armored soldiers and stodgy oil portraits.

The trek through the mansion was longer than the voyage through the terrorizing forest, and was strangely deserted.

There were no close calls, no run-ins with Lucius, no booby traps or sirens. Draco looked at their wary faces and snorted a bit as they kept walking.

"Really, we have to live here you know. My-" he said the word with great distaste "-father threw a bit of a fit about having the 'piggish brutes', as he called them, running about, so that got rid of that, and as long as you have my blood on your wands, the house will see you as friends and guests. The only worry we have is my father."

As he spoke they were still moving, constantly moving, swift and mostly silent through the manor.

There was a bit of a fright when Ron accidentally ran into a suit of armor holding a torch, both causing it to come crashing noisily to the ground and lighting Ron's hem on fire.

"RONALD!!"

Hermione, exasperated, put the armor back together with a muttered spell and a flick of her wand, than put out the fire that was inching up a panicked Ron's robes. He stod up sheepishly and muttered _reparo _to mend his charred robes.

The two of them ran to catch up to the group who had kept walking past the mishap, keeping to the code and trusting Hermione to resolve the situation. there were no more mishaps, and they strode in silence until they reached what both Draco and the map confirmed as the entrance to the dungeons.

* * *

Ginny was lying on the floor and counting stretch marks in the dim light. The sparse lines were layered underneath the hand-shaped bruises on her hips. She kept track with ones on her left hand and tens on her rights. Over and over and over again she counted.

One, two three, four, five, six, seven, eight, nine, then, eleven. One, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight, nine, ten, eleven. One, two, three, four, on and on and on, ten, eleven.

One for each finger, with one left over, like her. The one left over. Eleven divided by ten. Numbers, rape, darkness, filth.

Her mind reeled with the ache Malfoy left in his wake, and the mindless drivel kept it away. She flopped over bonelessly, her hand flung out to the right and landed on something cold and smooth.

She lifted up her necklace by its amulet, and fingered the beads and the coin with a detached countenance on her face before she lifted it into view. The coin spun freely in the air, first in one direction until it could no longer, and then in the other.

Her mind remembered emotion. It remembered Draco, who was so wonderful at times, so loving and protecting; and so broken at others, weak and vulnerable. It remembered pride in the ability to make him strong again. Her mind remembered hurt and anguish, shame, revulsion, and guilt.

But her soul, her spirit felt love and warmth and comfort, when she thought of Draco. She could almost feel his arms around her, barricading the pain and the humiliation she was currently feeling.

Feeling?_ NO!_

Ginny threw the necklace off into the dark corner opposite her and desperately tried to shut her mind.

_Sunshine daisies butter mellow turn this stupid fat rat yellow and turn my mind to pools of Jello leave me be, emotions, trials, I can't exist in pain this great just be nothing, nothing, nothing, one two three for five six eleven nineteen twenty twenty-one, eleven; two times five plus one, one for each finger…_

Ginny could almost see her mind closing like the doors to one of those muggle elevators her father had tried replicating, but in an almost tangible way, the Void flared up and stopped her barricade of drivel.

"UGH!"

She pushed herself up then winced at the pain the sudden movement caused her. The dull ache in her body became a sharp pain, but still she pushed herself slowly up and forced herself to walk smoothly to where she heard the necklace hit, suppressing the urge to limp. She sat with a flump and picked up the chain, examining it closely for any damage.

Ginny sighed as she noticed that one of the emeralds was missing from the delicately writhing silver chain. Looking around carefully, she saw glinting in the nearly non-existent light a few feet away. She closed her hand around it and after fastening the necklace around her throat, rolled it around in her hand slowly.

As she sat alone, Ginny couldn't help but feel a tiny bubble of hope begin to swell up and overtake her.


	25. Chapter 25:This Is The Rescue

Charlie felt like he was in one of those black-and-white films his father loved to watch, despite the family telling him that they had them in color now. The horror ones were always the same.

_Dark screen. Nothing but the sound of hurried footsteps. Cut to shot of marble hallway. Pan down the hallway quickly. Turn and focus on portrait, swivel back to show suit of armor. Continue straight to the end of the hall. Stop at the door. Pan around to show a group of seventeen, all looking pissed-off and determined. They advance towards the door. The leader, a young man of eighteen, raises his want hand and points it at the door. He starts to dictate rapidly in Latin. As he continues murmuring, quietly but distinctly, a glow starts to emit from the tip of his wand. It surrounds the door and reveals a sort of film of protection. The film starts to dissolve slowly, then quicker, and quicker, until it is there no more. The boy whispers_ alohamora_, and the slowly enter the doorway._

With every step deeper, the dungeon went from ostentatious and imposing to solid and formidable, to humble to shabby to absolutely manky, and was still only getting worse. As they came to the very dregs of the dungeon, they saw a still, pale form lying naked in the dirty hay, glowing almost ethereally in the darkness. All of the Weasleys rushed forward simultaneously until Draco held up his hand.

"Wait. That's just another illusion."

They kept pressing on, everyone reluctant to leave, still a bit certain that was indeed Ginny Weasley, lying alone in a cell.

Within the minute they arrived at the very end of a hallway, surrounded by nothing but stone walls.

"What are you playing at, Malfoy!?" Forge shouted.

Draco just turned around and ran his finger down the wall in the center. It melted into a doorway around his finger, admitting them into a cell that was the very definition of putrescence.

It was like someone had tried to combine every putrid image of a medieval dungeon, and then decided that they wanted it to be even more disgusting and oppressive. There was filthy, damp hay on the floor. There were rats scurrying around. In the far left corner was a pile of dung so high that it would have reached Hagrid's waist, and there were all types of large insects thriving off the stench. Blood coated the walls and the rusty manacles hanging from the ceiling, in some places so thick that it formed a crusty coating around the links of the chains and in between the cinderblocks.

"Where's Ginny?" Ron questioned. They looked around rapidly, scanning the large cell. Nobody saw her anywhere, until moody shoved his way in from the back. He pointed to the closest corner, but still nobody saw anything, until Draco started walking to the right where he was pointing, reached his hand out, and placed in on the top of Ginny's head. Huddled in the dark in her black robes, she had lost consciousness huddled in a fetal position against the wall.

Draco tried to shake her awake gently, but was thrown back when she started thrashing wildly, but with surprising accuracy. Her foot caught him directly in the chest, leaving him gasping for air. An auror tried to subdue her, but Ginny clocked the girl in the jaw. It wasn't until Hermione stepped forwards with a gentle voice and a soothing hand that she was brought out of her blind fit.

"Ginny, it's us. It's Hermione. And your family. And Draco, too. We're here to get you out."

Ginny looked up as Draco moved gingerly forwards with an outstretched hand. He smoothed her tangled hair down, then pulled her into his arms. He pulled back when he felt her start to look up.

"Can you move at all?" he asked, knowing how rough his father could be.

"I'll try," Ginny rasped as she moved into a sitting position. What had felt sore before was now a furnace burning her from within, centering in her core and incinerating her muscles with its burning tendrils of pain. She gasped loudly, and immediately there were eight Weasleys, a Potter and a Granger at her side as well with gently hands helping her to stand. Seeing the state of her robes, Draco pulled his off and fastened them around her, while Hermione conjured up fresh clothing. Ginny dressed under Draco's robes, grasping his shoulders for balance as Charlie's hands helped to steady her from behind when she wavered.

Rising fully to her feet, Ginny gathered her dignity and forced out an "O.K," signaling a departure. However, she took one step and nearly crumpled to the ground if it weren't for Ron and Draco steadying her instantly. Ginny glanced up to see their eyes meet and their heads simultaneously nod slowly in gratitude, and could have laughed despite the circumstances if it weren't for the acute pain that stole her breath.

Hermione sighed and stepped forwards, brandishing her wand and muttering a quick "_Vulnera Sanentu."_ Almost immediately Ginny straightened up, face clear of any signs of pain. She was quickly hugged by her family, Harry, and Hermione, and Tonks while the rest of the Aurors stood around awkwardly.

"Ready, ginger-pie?" Charlie asked. Ginny smiled at the old nickname that used to rankle her so badly. She nodded after lifting her hand to her neck to ensure her gift was still there. They made their way back out of the dungeons swiftly, and were approaching the exit when the door slammed shut of its own violation, and they heard a cold, high voice from behind.

* * *

**Sorry this is so short, and that my chapters are so far between. I am currently swamped with college essays and stuff, and really REALLY want to hear from my readers. I am wondering if you are still out there, or if I am performing in an empty auditorium. Sorry for the multiple cliffhangers, by the way. It's kinda a stopping point for me. Plus it's almost midnight and my carriage is about to turn back into a pumpkin.**

**And for further info, the reason I am bringing Charlie into this is because I love him. He is fantastic. The way I envision him... Mmmmmm. **

**Wild, brawny Dragon Tamer. He could tame the beast in me ANY day. ;)**

***ahem* sorry, couldn't resist. :D**


End file.
